Queue jump at airports with new technology

Airport queues are one of the main frustrations experienced by people travelling on holiday, according to a new Which? Holiday report, but there are ways you can zip to the front of the line.

Facial recognition gates are already being used at two UK airports, London Stansted and Manchester, to reduce waiting times at immigration.

If you hold a UK or European passport with a digital photo, instead of standing in the queue to be processed by an immigration officer, you can pass through one of the gates instead.

Simply swipe your passport and the gate will measure points on your face, such as the distance between your eyes, to make sure you match with the photo inside.

Even if you have changed your appearance since your passport photo was taken the machines should still be able to recognise you.

The gates take only a few seconds to process each passenger and, as they can't be used by everyone, they give British and European digital passport holders a real chance to queue jump.

Iris Recognition Cameras are in use at other UK airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow to help cut down queues at immigration.

They take less than 20 seconds to process each passenger, waiting times are generally short and they are quick and easy to use.

Passengers must register to use the service, though this should only take 20 minutes at the most. They are then issued with a card embedded with their details and when they arrive at an airport they look into a camera which identifies them by their iris scan.

For more information go to www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk

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